Comparing US public university and US private sector project costs
Journal of Facilities Management
ISSN: 1472-5967
Article publication date: 10 December 2018
Issue publication date: 16 May 2019
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to focus on the factors influencing project cost at US public universities and compares them to similar projects in the US private sector. It also presents an analysis of the potential reasons for the difference or similarities in the two sectors.
Design/methodology/approach
This study utilized an exploratory, comparative case study methodology performed on a small sample of public university projects and two sources of private sector cost data.
Findings
The results infer that most of the US public projects have comparable costs to that of their US private sector counterparts. The cost data from the university projects were further examined to explore if there were any possible relationships between the types of delivery methods used, sustainability certifications achieved and two project performance indexes – cost and duration.
Research limitations/implications
A more thorough analysis with a larger dataset is required to make generalizable conclusions. However, the process used in this study does provide a good overview of how facility managers could organize their own cost comparison study to evaluate their project expenditures.
Practical implications
This research provides a starting point for future research into the topic of US public sector project costs when compared to US private sector counterparts and the impact of delivery system and sustainability on cost of US public sector projects.
Originality/value
Research on this topic is scant; as such, this paper provides a starting point for future research and offers insights into the potential impacts of project delivery method and choice of following a sustainability certification option.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The research was partially funded by the Facilities Management Department of Colorado State University. The institution determined the topic of the research, do we spend public monies in a prudent fashion and left the design and selection of comparable institutions to the researchers.
Citation
Strong, K., Glick, S. and Syhail, G. (2019), "Comparing US public university and US private sector project costs", Journal of Facilities Management, Vol. 17 No. 2, pp. 220-234. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFM-03-2018-0024
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited